So, sitting at work in my little cubicle I always am immersed in listening to the “chick talk” in the office. There are many great conversations that are going on around me but being a food lover I tend to gravitate towards the ones involving food. I overheard a couple of women in the office talking up a new grocery store I have seen called Fresh and Easy. You may have seen them; they are now popping up everywhere. The new CVS if you will. One day there was none, and now there are about a billion. One of the women was saying how magnificent this place was and how fabulous she thought it was. This reared my curiosity to new levels. Although I do not understand conversations about low fat diets, Pirate Booty or vegetables, I do understand the universal language of saving a buck.
I get flyers in my mail every week from Fresh and Easy and they always include a coupon for $5 off of $20. Being the coupon lover that I am, I cut them out save them but have yet to use them. Already curious about this new place, I got a flyer with a deal for a grill pack for $4.99. I am the most frugal person I know so reading that I could get 8 pieces of chicken, 4 hamburger patties and 4 Italian sausages for that price I was knocking down people in my apartment complex to drive to buy these so called grill packs.
On my way to the store I was thinking of all the glorious meals I could make with the grill pack. Chili cheese burgers, chicken casseroles, spaghetti and sausage! The possibilities were endless. Not only that, if I spent $20 I would save $5! This is the frugal girl’s dream. What I learned was that it was not so fresh and not so easy.
Pulling up to the store I grabbed a cart and noticed that the place was no larger than a Walgreens. Although the parking lot was empty, the place was full. It was full with everyone else who wanted the coveted grill pack. When I walked through the automatic doors, David Blaine style, I saw it. What was staring at me was an empty refrigerator bin where the grill packs used to be. It was staring at me, taunting me. I had that screechy music playing in my head like when Al Pacino or “Tony” if you will, saw his sister dancing in the club in Scarface. I know how marketing works and I realize that they do this crap to get people to go into the store. That is all good but you have to impress them once they are there. Not build up there hopes and dreams of all the meaty goodness one could ever want for $4.99 and crush them.
Since I get over things fairly easily, I snapped out of my meat loving rage and decided to check the place out since I was here. I mean I still had a coupon for $5 off and that is still pretty awesome. Filling my cart with some necessities, all more expensive than Fry’s and not Fresher or Easier, I decided to check out. Instead of cashiers, all they have is a bunch of self checkout stands. This, again, is not easier. Standing there, checking out my own groceries I noticed that I was all done but my total was only $18.74 and I needed it to add up to $20 to use the coupon. Shit!!! I ran from my stand and grabbed the first thing in sight, a bag of onions and can of pinto beans. I did not need this crap? I hate onions. Stupid store.
Thankfully my experience was done. I left feeling a little violated like I just got locked in a closet with a clown and we somehow switched outfits in the dark. All I know is that there is a reason I do not consider myself a normal person because I generally do not like things that everyone else likes, thank goodness. I in no way liked this place and everyone in the office just raves about it.
Bottom line, Fresh and Easy sucks Monkey nads.
I get flyers in my mail every week from Fresh and Easy and they always include a coupon for $5 off of $20. Being the coupon lover that I am, I cut them out save them but have yet to use them. Already curious about this new place, I got a flyer with a deal for a grill pack for $4.99. I am the most frugal person I know so reading that I could get 8 pieces of chicken, 4 hamburger patties and 4 Italian sausages for that price I was knocking down people in my apartment complex to drive to buy these so called grill packs.
On my way to the store I was thinking of all the glorious meals I could make with the grill pack. Chili cheese burgers, chicken casseroles, spaghetti and sausage! The possibilities were endless. Not only that, if I spent $20 I would save $5! This is the frugal girl’s dream. What I learned was that it was not so fresh and not so easy.
Pulling up to the store I grabbed a cart and noticed that the place was no larger than a Walgreens. Although the parking lot was empty, the place was full. It was full with everyone else who wanted the coveted grill pack. When I walked through the automatic doors, David Blaine style, I saw it. What was staring at me was an empty refrigerator bin where the grill packs used to be. It was staring at me, taunting me. I had that screechy music playing in my head like when Al Pacino or “Tony” if you will, saw his sister dancing in the club in Scarface. I know how marketing works and I realize that they do this crap to get people to go into the store. That is all good but you have to impress them once they are there. Not build up there hopes and dreams of all the meaty goodness one could ever want for $4.99 and crush them.
Since I get over things fairly easily, I snapped out of my meat loving rage and decided to check the place out since I was here. I mean I still had a coupon for $5 off and that is still pretty awesome. Filling my cart with some necessities, all more expensive than Fry’s and not Fresher or Easier, I decided to check out. Instead of cashiers, all they have is a bunch of self checkout stands. This, again, is not easier. Standing there, checking out my own groceries I noticed that I was all done but my total was only $18.74 and I needed it to add up to $20 to use the coupon. Shit!!! I ran from my stand and grabbed the first thing in sight, a bag of onions and can of pinto beans. I did not need this crap? I hate onions. Stupid store.
Thankfully my experience was done. I left feeling a little violated like I just got locked in a closet with a clown and we somehow switched outfits in the dark. All I know is that there is a reason I do not consider myself a normal person because I generally do not like things that everyone else likes, thank goodness. I in no way liked this place and everyone in the office just raves about it.
Bottom line, Fresh and Easy sucks Monkey nads.
5 comments:
Welcome to the world of blogging my friend! Thanks so much for the morning chuckle :) I was having a bad day but I just loved reading about your experience at Fresh and Easy. Not to make it worse...but I have one of those grill packs in my freezer right now! Joe's parents bought it for us. We will have to have you over so you can help us eat all those burgers, chicken and sausage :) Too much for us to eat alone...hehehe
Way to rub it in Kiera!!! All I ever wanted was a grill pack. So sad :(
yeah, I agree, Fresh and Easy sucks hard!!!! I hate that place too!!!!!!
I completely agree with you - my one experience there - after all the hype, was horrible! Nothing Fresh or Easy about it!
We are so excited you have joined the blogging world - welcome!
Here's my experience with F&E: I worked there for a year and a half before I was fired by a manager who happened to be a lesbian and let that determine her attitude towards employeees. They severely understaff their stores to the point where sometimes when the delivery truck comes, pallets of "fresh" food sit there for a half hour or more unrefrigerated. They'll make one employee put an entire pallet of frozen on the shelves by themselves, which can sometimes take an hour. Do you like your frozen food to be defrosted and frozen again a couple times before you buy it? They don't provide the staff to function decently. Support your local companies, not some British Wal-Mart.
Post a Comment